Chichen Itza – One of the New 7 Wonders of the World, definitely the coolest thing I saw in Mexico, the pyramid was amazing and I cannot believe the Mayans built this huge structure plus the historical background behind this place is unreal. Can’t even imagine the human sacrifice ceremonies

Valladolid – Charming little historic town at the east entrance of Chichen Itza, cute little shops and eateries lining the pastel colored streets

Xcaret – Mixture of a zoo and waterpark, great place for kids. It was fun to see once and the show at the end of the night was very interesting

Swimming in the underground rivers was one of the toughest endurance tests, probably not something I’d ever do againUnderground rivers were very long and get you tired from having to physically swim the entire time – not like a lazy river which I expected

Mayan ruinsBeautiful stained glass ceiling in the chapel

Various animal exhibits

Bird and butterfly exhibit rooms

Orchid greenroom exhibit

Awesome traditional show at the end of the night

Tortilla Making & Guacamole Cooking Class – Learned how to make authentic tortillas, pico de gallo salsa, chicken fajitas and guacamole in a Havana Moon cooking class at the resort which was fun

Suytun Cenote – Stopped here on the way to Chichen Itza to swim at this underground cave pool, kind of eerie inside but the water was crystal clear

Havana Moon – Restaurant at the resort we stayed at, fun atmosphere, colorful decor and live music at night plus the view of the beach outside was incredible

Tramonto – Italian restaurant at the resort, got the lasagna and it sure was delicious, their bread platters (shown on the left) come with huge sculpture pieces which was crazy

Jade Boutique & Deli – The gelato was amazing, plus pictured below was my last meal in Mexico. Got the club panini and fruit platter which totally hit the spot

Grand Luxxe of Vidanta Resort Riviera Maya – We stayed in the Grand Luxxe of the Vidanta Resorts. They give you a bracelet to get into your room which felt very hip and modern. Below is the Grand Luxxe lobby and also we went golfing on the resort grounds

Animals spotted on the resort property

The Main Pool – spent a lot of time here lounging around at the resort

The Beach Club – private pool area for Grand Luxxe and Grand Bliss members, was quaint and relaxing with cute cabanas right along the beach plus happy hour was fantastic

Pina Coladas are my favoriteThese chicken nachos were the best I’ve ever had, so yummy and the presentation is incredibleDidn’t drink the margaritas but the Miami vices (pina colada with strawberry daiquiri) were super refreshing, loved the orange slice touch

Beach – the beachfront was right outside the resort grounds, it’s beautiful in its own unique way and very different from the beaches back home where I’m from